Boston Dynamics

So I've been an avid follower of Boston Dynamics on YouTube for about the past year or two, and I think this is the first time I've been very impressed with a company's progress with their robotics program. They bring us an actual 'line' of robots, both 2 and 4 legged applications, that are making significant progress within the last 10 or so years now. I remember seeing their videos when I was unfamiliar with their company, when they were doing testing on the larger BigDog, and I remember watching almost in disbelief this robotic structure with legs walking and balancing on it's own! It was almost unreal the first few times. But even watching their progress today and seeing them advance step by step is a real treat! Just take a look at one of their videos here showing Atlas, one of their more prominent robots, running, leaping and jumping with controlled balance up some steps on it's own! Wow. Unfortunately, I think a lot of movies depicting age old robots and androids already fully functional have sort of ruined the 'wow' factor today, but when you think about where we really are and the progress made in our real world, it is pretty amazing.


Boston Dynamics have already done field testing with their Spot Mini and are hoping to release a version as early as next year in fields like construction, to help with various tasks such as overseeing the progress of development. In one video seen on Instagram quite recently, they capture one of their robots picking up a large wooden substrate and nailing it to a structure with a nail gun! Although quite slow and a bit awkward, I don't have any doubts that they will improve the application of this robot and it's ability to do tasks like this more efficiently. It's just a matter of time, I believe, when robots will be working alongside humanity in various fields in a variety of applications, including law enforcement. I believe that K9s will eventually be replaced by their 4 legged robots such as Wildcat or Spot to help assist them. At this point I think they are many ways that these robots can & will be used, and it will be exciting to see (at least for me) how they are used and disbursed. And along with the ever-progressing 3D printing technology, robots may start being produced the same way an automotive assembly line functions. Think Bicentennial Man. I think that movie gives us a good indication of how robots and androids may eventually evolve, and without the whole 'robots will take over' scare factor.


More to come! :)

What happened to Kelli Ali?

You have those days where you remember so and so leadsinger from a certain band and wonder "whatever happened to that person?" Well, the thought came to me regarding the former singer for Sneakerpimp's album Becoming X, remember her? I think most of us who grew up in the 90's definitely remember, it springboarded the band to greater heights at the time, not to mention Kelli Ali, AKA Kelli Dayton, former lead vocalist of both Psycho Drama and the Lumieres.


So where did she go? Well turns out, the british singer actually continued creating her own music, which I was pleasantly surprised to see. Her music varies from album to album however, from dreamlike folk music of Rocking Horse and Butterfly, which remind me of Goldfrapp's Felt Mountain a bit, to a more electronic and rock feel of her first album Tigermouth. She also collaborates quite a bit with others, so as you can see she's been quite the busy one and has had quite a long stretch so far! I look forward to seeing her progress in the years ahead! :)


Click here to see her video for Kids from the album Tigermouth.

Dont forget gravity...

Ever see a sculpture of, say, a nude woman sitting, with a perfectly round bottom? Looks nice right? Yes, except for the fact that one thing was not accounted for: gravity. Unless she weighs practically nothing, her bottom should be pressed against that which she's sitting on. That should also apply to other parts of the body as well. It's just one observation I've made in a few various sculptures lately as I myself delve further into it, and a good reminder, at least in the area of realism. If it's surreal, hey do as you please, there's no limits, her bottom could be square or triangle shaped if you want! I understand that some artists may be trying to portray a certain kind of aesthetic in their work, but I'll admit myself, I do find a certain aesthetic in a woman with all her various curves and shapes that are portrayed in various positions, and not just one. :)

Icelandic Fix and More

Lately I've been discovering some really great Icelandic electronic bands, such as Iamamiwhoami, Vök, Samaris, Gangly, and Yster, who is actually under the To Whom It May Concern label founded by Jonna (or Ionna) Lee, who is both part of Iamamiwhoami and is releasing her own solo album in February 2018. It's been extremely hard to find any CDs or LPs available locally but fortunately I've found their music for sale online. I'm particularly interested in finding LPs for these artists which is even more rare. The most common, of course, is digital downloads. Hopefully at some point, when resources are more available for them, they will have CDs and LPs available as well. :)


I'm also right on the brink of finishing my first kitteh (or cat) sculpture! I will post pics on Instagram when finished, which will be any day now. I need to finish because one, I need to move on and start a new one, of course, and two, I just bought a supplementary book that I want to follow along with while I'm sculpting. It works out perfectly because it's more of a 'how to' guide on developing details in your sculpture, as opposed to guiding you from start to finish on a particular sculpture. So I'm excited about going forward, creating new things, and experimenting even further.


On the work front, there's also an exciting development happening as well. If you don't know, I work at a sign company and have for the last 6+ years in Ontario, CA. My boss (finally) decided to buy a Router machine, which is going to give us more of an edge when creating things like ADA and engraved signs and acrylic letters, among other things. I'm looking forward to learning how to run this machine, which will add to my sign knowledge as well. So we've all been cleaning up the production areas to make more room for this new arrival which should be here in the next week or so. :)

Working through the sickness

So we just ended a nice long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, albeit a sick one. :( I'm still thankful I got to rest a lot, which I did. And not only me but my brother & sister-in-law as well. It also gave me a chance to continue working on my kitteh, although not as much as I had hoped for. Still, I made progress, not only sculpting but educating myself further and experimenting a little too. I really believe it's important for artists to educate themselves constantly, gain inspiration from other sources, and especially experiment a lot. I think some artists can get static by never thinking outside the box and constantly doing the 'same ole' in their art. But having said that, I've also seen artists doing the same paintings or sculptures over and over with just small nuances of differences in them, but those artists also have a lot of passion for what they do and never seem to come to a stand still, which I greatly admire as well.


I've been learning, experimenting and finding much inspiration during this first kitteh sculpture. I actually didn't intend to blend it with too many natural elements in this first one but I've been inspired a lot by it lately so I thought 'what the hell'. I'm still trying to keep it simple, however. Once it's all done, I'll adorn it with a few crystals here and there and call it done. Then move onto the next! I may continue the nature theme with the next sculpture but create something more dynamic. I admire the work of Ellen Jewett greatly and am fascinated by her work and craftsmanship, and would love to include elements that are similar to hers, even if it falls way short of her style. She puts a lot of hours and time and thought into her work and she gives me something to strive towards. I've only recently found out what type of material she uses and funny enough, I was on the right track when I found out. But even just knowing what she uses is a tiny fraction of the whole story of her work. It's one thing to know what an artist uses; it's another thing entirely to implement it! That's why she advises other artists on her site to use what's right for them. And I agree. For example, Crystal Morey uses porcelain for her work which turns out just beautifully when complete, while others like Jessica Dalva uses a wide array of materials including super scupley, fabrics and other materials that suit her style and storytelling which come out just wonderful as well. It's all what you want to accomplish and what look you're aiming at presenting. For me, for now anyways, I always had to goal of creating elegant kittehs (cats) that are almost life-size, in various ways of colors, materials and styles. That was my goal from the beginning. It took some time and thinking about how to accomplish this, but I think I'm on the right track thus far.


I'm hoping to wrap up my first kitteh very soon, but in the meantime I will also continue to experiment and learn more. I just ordered a book that I'm hoping will help even more, that focuses on a different methods of sculpting. We shall see in about a week or so. ;)

Halloween and more...

Fall took awhile to get here, but before I knew it, Halloween was here! And on this Halloween I find it weird that the World Series is on too. I guess the Sports Industry could care less about holiday traditions. I mean seriously, it couldn't be scheduled on Wednesday instead? Was it that vital? Cause once it's over, it's over. It's not like there's some vital deadline like a work schedule. It's a game. It could have waited one more night. But anyways...enough with the nightly rant...


As of late I've been getting back into the sculpting and working on a line of unique kittehs. I haven't revealed too much just yet, I'm keeping most of it hush hush until I have a good handful of kittehs to show. I've also been getting some sites ready to go online and preparing for their 'revelation' as well. I'm trying to keep it simple right now, with just one or two sizes, as well as the decorating as well. I'm still figuring this out as I go. All I know is, I want to create an elegant line of unique kittehs that are nicely decorated in various ways. What ways? That remains to be seen. ;)


I've also been doing some research on starting a line of 'dolls' or figurines to get some advice. One good piece of advice that applies well to me (as well as many artists I dare say) is the importance of staying focused! As an artist, I have ideas running through my mind all the time. I come up with a concept and during the day the ideas start to come and I'm thankful that they do! The problem is, if you're not focused, those ideas, if not properly managed, can start 'running the show' and start to pull you this way and that way and every which way. If you understand what I mean, then you know that when those exciting ideas pile up in your head, those ideas you want to implement NOW, are taking you off course and disturbing your focus. And what happens is, with so many options in front of you, you soon find yourself doing...nothing. You find yourself at a standstill. It's not unlike going to the store and buying a new product, seeing a gazillion options, and not knowing what to do and feeling defeated. You have to stay focused and keep it simple! Start with step 1, STAY on step 1, and finish step 1. In fact, don't just 'finish' step 1...master step 1. Then step 2 and so on. Get good at what you do, take it slow, think it through and understand what you're doing. I think too many people are too anxious to make it big without putting in the work to get them there. Research stories of famous people and where they started; many people in high places got there by starting small and building an empire day by day. Some of them just started at home or with a small cart or with hardly any money. They got there from hard work and determination...and focus. And let me say, they got there without distraction! Yes, something probably comes to mind. TV? Your mobile phone? Bad habits? You can't achieve a dream, by sitting there doing nothing. And the worst position to be in is having a dream, doing nothing, while seeing all the stories of people achieving their dreams. Don't do that! Become one of those stories! Be that story people read about! Inspire others!


Okay I didn't mean to get into a 'here's my advice' post. If it encouraged anyone, that's awesome. But just writing that encourages me as well. I think I needed to hear that too, cause God knows I can tend to get caught up with tv shows, with my phone and just plain procrastination. What I've been telling myself lately is, if you don't work hard now with your product, no one is going to know what you have to sell, cause you'll have nothing to sell. I see many artists with sculptures, paintings and other products who are self-motivated and create things DAILY! I want that. I want to be like that. I need to be like that if I'm going to go anywhere with this line or any line of products.


So that's what I've been doing, creating daily, even if it's only an hour because I'm just tired from my day job. Sometimes I'm just really tired from the day and I'll allow myself to rest. But I get back on it asap! I have to or I'll end up taking 2 days, 3 days and I'll look back and for a week, I've done nothing. That's the worse. If you have a great idea, a great vision, motivate yourself with that original idea. Remember how great it is, don't forget about it when you get stuck or in a rut. Work out the rut! Work through the rut and keep moving forward. Figure it out. There are no excuses nowadays. There is so much information out there today online. There were a few times I was ready to give up cause I wasn't finding any info out there. But I kept looking and pushing...and I found something! I found some great info on my subject. So don't give up so easily. Ask people. Go on places like Quora.com or ask your coworkers or even people at the store in the same aisle as you. It's worth a shot, right? The worse they can say is 'I don't know'. But keep looking, keep asking and keep stepping.


It's tough when you already have a day job and that's why it's important to stay focused and motivated. Find the time that works best for you. Sometimes I wonder if I should just get right to it after work before I start getting too tired. I might try that. Being tired is definitely a de-motivator. Don't start things too late. Do it early. Do it on lunch if you can, or at least do some simple research on the subject. Do what you can. Then implement it later. It's a great feeling when I find something new and want to go home to try it out. But again, stay focused. Don't get on the 'I want to try everything new' train cause before you know it, you'll have come to the end and lose your way and wonder where your focus went. Too many ideas, can cause too many delays. I know, believe me. I've been there too many times. And it defeats your original purpose. There's nothing wrong with experimenting, nothing wrong! In fact, if you can experiment, that's awesome, cause experimenting with new ideas can lead to new and unique things! But do it with caution. Don't let it distract you from the original vision and take you off course. Write down those ideas and save them. Don't be too anxious to implement them if it takes you away from your 'product'.


Which brings me to another great piece of advice: whatever product you have to offer, stay focused on that product and be known for that product! When people think of you, let them think of that product. If you keep jumping from idea to idea without ever establishing a solid product, what are people gonna think? I'll tell you...confused. They won't know what to think, cause you've gone on too many tangents along the way. When people ask them what you do, they'll probably have a hard time nailing it down for you. You don't want that. You want a clear, focused product to offer, at least at first. We follow other people because we love what they do and keep us coming back for more, right? Cause they have a consistent line of posts that you love seeing everyday. That's what you want to establish. Keep it consistent, keep it focused.


So that's what I'm trying to implement myself nowadays. There are many things I love delving into; painting, photography, sculpting and even writing music. And I've come across some great ideas with each one that I'm sure would succeed, if I focused solely on that idea. So this time around, I thought of a great idea from my drawings that I want to make into elegant sculptures, and I have a lot of ideas for this line. But I need to stick with it, or it will become another great idea lost in the mix because I lost my focus, my motivation and grabbed the next 'cool' idea that came my way. That needs to stop!
Although having said that, I keep some of those other ideas in mind. I haven't forgot about them cause I think they're great. I'm just staying focused on this project now and not letting go. Cause I see the potential of it, I see the influence of it and want to stay where I am. I think it's worth it.


And speaking of that, time to get some work in! Have a good night all. :)

Making the Journey

Lately I've been more willing to get out and find spots to photograph nature, whether it be a local college, a scenic park or the mountains not too far from me. I've already found some nice areas that I never would have discovered had I not ventured out like this, which motivates me even more to discover more of what's out there in my 'backyard'. Eventually, however, I'd like to take a bigger step and take a trip up north, preferably with my son who likes to camp, and venture into some real forests and wildlife and try to get some nice shots. Another goal of mine is to educate myself more on my subjects, or at the very least know the name of the tree or flower I'm photographing.


Even along the coast and homes in Corona Del Mar, for example, there are plenty of flowers to be seen, surprisingly, if you just look for them. Plus you have the added benefit of an ocean view rather than a foresty one, which is a nice change. The multicolored flower pictured here, from the Lantana plant, was actually taken near a home in CDM, although the angle I chose reflected lots of bokeh from the plant itself behind it, which is what I was aiming for. If there's one element I love in my photographs, it's nice bokeh and blurs that contrast well with the foreground subject. :)

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